The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Treatment of alcohol abuse disorder and other drug addictions is done today at rehab centers where a patient is locked into a substance-free facility for a month or more. Other services may be provided by the rehab center, such as a 12-step program, education sessions, or talk therapy. These patients are stabilized by ensuring the addictive substance is unavailable for the duration of the program.
Addiction is characterized by the formation of trigger circuits in the brain which induce a craving for the addictive substance in the addict whenever the trigger behavior recurs. These trigger circuits are learned responses to otherwise-innocuous behaviors which the addict has frequently engaged in while using the addictive substance. An example of a trigger behavior for a smoker might be the completion of a meal, after which he habitually goes out for a smoke. The addictive substance (in this case nicotine) activates motivational neurotransmitters in the brain every time the substance is used, thereby building a memory pathway around the trigger behavior (completion of the meal). When the trigger behavior recurs, the trigger pathway floods the brain with motivational neurotransmitters that cause a craving for the addictive substance.
When the addict leaves rehab, his behavior triggers provide the principal challenge. The drug-free stay in the locked rehab environment will certainly have improved an addict's health, but it provides little help against those powerful urges for drug use that await in the home environment.